I had a quiet moment while waiting for some people to finish paperwork the other day related to selling my car. The time had come to sell my beloved Toyota 4Runner and the buyer had flown in from California to pick it up.

This is the last photo of our 4Runner, made while in my possession. I have many good memories in this vehicle, so selling it is a little bittersweet. It was purchased with family in mind to provide safe, reliable transport and adventure, and to replace a spectacularly unreliable Dodge pickup.

To say our 4Runner delivered on its promise is an understatement. It has been the most reliable, wonderful vehicle I’d ever owned. It has traveled the American West on good roads, bad roads and some places without roads, taking us skiing, biking, camping, and helping to document astronomical phenomena among many other adventures. So, before transferring it to its new owner, we took a couple of pictures to commemorate its time with us.

Its kinda crazy how an inanimate object can inspire feelings. But the best products do make your life better for having used them. Therefore, I had wanted to make sure our 4Runner went to a good home and started inquiring as to potential buyers in a couple of places online, one of which was a wonderfully moderated forum dedicated to all things Toyota 4Runner, TR4.org. I had several offers for it, one at 30% of the total initial purchase price which is remarkable. However, I took a little less money and went with the one that felt like our 4Runner would go to a good home. The buyer is a young man from the Bay Area, interested in becoming a firefighter and living his own adventures with a safe vehicle for his family. How could I resist?

Before closing out, this is perhaps my most favorite picture of the 4Runner, a portrait taken from space on one adventure. A friend sent this image along with a red circle on it and a note saying: “Jones, check out your visit as seen from space” or something like that.